


Other Worlds: Sick Day

by ghostlybirds



Series: Other Worlds - Side Stories [2]
Category: Original Work, Starbound (Video Game)
Genre: Aliens, F/M, Gen, Outer Space, Partial Nudity, References to Illness, Robot/Human Relationships, Romance, Science Fiction, Slice of Life, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:42:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21688531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostlybirds/pseuds/ghostlybirds
Summary: Ship engineer io catches an illness after a field mission to a planet. Because her crewmates are concerned of contracting said illness, they keep her in her room until she fully recovers. io wakes up in her quarters before being visited by the only two of her crew that can't get ill.
Relationships: Original Character(s)/Original Character(s)
Series: Other Worlds - Side Stories [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1627648
Kudos: 8





	Other Worlds: Sick Day

"Ughhh......" 

A groan and sniffle comes from blanket pile in the quarters of io, the resident engineer of a ship travelling all throughout the known universe. Or, at the very least, **her** known universe. That concept expanded in the past year or so after being introduced to life other than just humans and androids, but she'd made her peace with it. What she didn't understand, however, was why everyone was so _finicky_ about her being sick. The human looked up from under her covers to look at the entrance to her room, shuffling light green hair as her face reflects a gentle light. The door stood in direct view with yellow, holographic hazard warnings circling diagonally across it, denying regular access both in and out of io's quarters. "Really?" She pouts, shuffling as she lays stomach down across her bed, looking towards her digital clock. 

"14:17/23:59," it read. 2:17pm, if they were on Earth's time. io customized her clock the way she wanted to, just like everyone else did theirs. Most of their tech was fine to be customized how they wished, so long as it didn't harm the crew or the mission. While everyone did things their way, io... wanted to be reminded of home. It would've been about lunchtime there, not calculating for time dilation. She sighed, letting the blanket slide over her head. Her toes peeked out from the covers, bare for the open air of her bedroom.

Once io had caught the illness, the whole ship practically went on red alert. Everyone but Rinzler and Lana, the only two who _couldn't_ actually get sick, had practically trapped her in the room until further notice. The most frustrating part about it all? It wasn't even that big of a problem! The worst issue io had was a slight cough, runny nose, and a few sneezing fits. Whatever this "illness" was felt like a cold, at most. io thought they were overreacting-- just finding reasons to hide her away. 

So, io laid in bed, just... waiting. Yeah, she could've been resting, but she wanted to be out there, working on something. The green haired engineer tossed and turned, slowing beginning to ponder any catastrophic issues the ship could have. The engines could overheat, causing them to be without navigational control, or the power could go out, forcing the ship to run on emergency reserves. Yeah, Rinzler could probably handle troubleshooting, but what if his unit was damaged? 

A gentle knock came from the door, and the engineer was pulled from her thoughts. "io, sweetheart, you awake? I'm gonna open the door, so I hope y'all are ready." 

io reaches over to the speaker system on the door without getting out of bed. Sounds like the ship's beekeeper was stopping by. "Yeah, I'm awake. Come on in, Lana." She pulls her hand away, sitting up and covering her lower half with the covers. If her crew was going to lock her up, she didn't think they deserved to see any leg action... well, except Rinzler. He always was the exception.

The hazard warning hologram surrounding the door disappears, and the faint glow turns from yellow to a gentle blue, freeing the restriction lock to open the door. Once the sliding metal parts, the small, friendly gas ball of southern hospitality wanders in, holding a tray with steaming hot soup on it, along with a side toasted roll. "Howdy, honey! How're you feelin'?" 

"I'm alright. Still think everyone out there is overreacting- *snnff*.." io breathes through her nose to empty her sinuses, before clearing her throat, letting a sigh out her mouth. "That... smells pretty good." 

Lana moves over to the "bed-ridden" io, her signature smile on her face. "Hanzo cooked it right up for you, told me to tell you to be careful with it. It's hot n' spicy, but it should clear up anything you've got backed up. He would've come down to give it to you himself, but lil' ol' Chico told him otherwise. Said I was better to deliver it." She hands the tray over, sliding it over her lap carefully. "Now, you best be careful. Last thing you want is to spill all over your bed!"

io rolls her eyes at the comment about Chico, still confused why he was so paranoid about it. "Yeah, I hear that. How are things going out there?" The human engineer lays her legs flat as the tray scoots across them. She can feel the heat of the food through the tray, and yeah, Lana was right about it being hot. They likely just made it, then? "No one's dying out there without me yet?"

"Mmm, no? Rinzler seems to be takin' care of everything major. Sounds like it's gonna be a smooth ride to the next sector. If there's an issue, I'm sure Garret will let us know. Don't you worry your sweet, little head, io!" Lana bounces up on her heels, keeping that adorable happy demeanor. "Do you need anythin', darlin'?" 

io smiles, lifting the spoon from the bowl and blowing into the soup gently, attempting to cool it down. "No, I think I'll be fine. I'll let you guys know if I need anything though." 

"Alright. Gotta go, you get some good rest, now!" Lana waves before headed out, the moving metal closing behind her. Not seconds later, the hazard hologram shows up on the door, and io was left alone again. The food wasn't all that bad, though. Spicy, meaty, and pretty filling to bat. At least her nose cleared up a little bit; not being able to breathe through it was the most annoying part about this cold, and the spice seemed to remedy that. Thank you, Hanzo.

In between spoonfuls of soup, io wandered to the bookshelves resting on the walls of her room, popping them open from the makeshift bookmarks she made. Most of them were engineering manuals for how the engines ran, some troubleshooting for the basic electrical work, and all she'd need to help run the ship. While Rinzler had the book programmed into him, io tended to read what she could in the case of him not being properly available. Maybe one day he'd be out of commission for a little bit, or his batteries gave out while the ship was in crisis mode. While io hated thinking about such a thing happening to him, she probably should expect something terrible happening out in the depths of space. 

A part of her wished they let her rest out there, let her look out at the stars, or just hang out in the rec room. io knew they wanted her in here, but at least she wouldn't be bored out of her mind. So, she read, catching up on the information she needed to know. It'd be more useful with the machines in front of her, but the green-haired engineer could visualize it well enough to understand some of it. She coughed into her shirt as she flipped through the pages, blinking a few times as she collected herself to continue reading. Time felt like it slowed to a halt while she skimmed along, wishing she had some water or something after finishing the spicy soup.

She jumped a little bit when she heard the door unrestrict, and sat up to greet whomever was greeting her-- though, considering they didn't leave a warning, io had a feeling for who it was. The door glows that familiar blue, and as the door opens, she's greeted with an all too familiar LED faceplate. Her heart rises to her throat when she sees Rinzler standing in the doorway. 

"Trouble sleeping?" The android spoke from his vocal box, with a white question mark lighting up the screen on his head. 

io didn't even bother hiding her lower half after realizing it was him, though she was a bit nervous about someone else walking down the hallway, seeing her the way she was. "Oh, I just had some spicy food, so I'm _completely_ awake. I assume everything didn't break out there without me if you're here?" She grabbed her bookmark and tucked it into the paper before closing it, then turning back to see him. 

"Break? You didn't sabotage anything when Chico found you sick, did you?"

"It wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you, would it?" io chuckled as best as a human with a cold could, with weak little coughs following behind.

"I suppose so. No, I think the ship is fine, or at least until Garrett decides to pick up some more galactic moonshine." Rinzler moves forward into io's room and shuts the door behind him, making sure to put up the "do not disturb" setting so Chico wouldn't throw a fit about keeping her room locked. "I was worried that the crew would need a suit when handling you," he says in a sarcastic tone, knowing how ridiculous the crew was being.

io sighed, sitting criss-crossed on her bed. "Right…? I wouldn't be shocked if we get a medic after all of this, just to ease 'everyone's' concerns." She fakes a cough, sneaking "Chico, Garret," in between.

Rinzler chuckles lightly, moving over and sitting next to io, the orange hues to his chassis pulsing lightly as he gets closer. "It's not the _worst_ idea to have a medic for the biotics on this ship. We have you to fix me, but outside of that you all have basic first aid." Rinzler argued, looking to the empty plate on her bedside cabinet. 

io nods, but pouts gently. "Maybe, but the reason we bring one aboard is because of what I have? It should've been when Garrett sprained his arm a while ago!" She pauses, holds her breath for a moment, before letting out a high pitched " _Ah-chu!!_ Ugh…" She sniffles, giving a disgusted look as she realizes green snot covered her arm. "Gross…..!"

Rinzler gets up from his seat after seeing the mess io made to grab one of her dirty towels, rather than going to grab a disposable wipe or hosing her arm with water. "Yeah, a medic is due to make their rounds after what has happened on the ship. We likely didn't have much choice, however-- be it a lack of funds or unable to find a settlement with a spare medic with such vast knowledge of biotics." He presses his cold, metallic palm up to her forehead and along the sides of her face, checking her temperature.

io lingers on those statements as her arm is wiped "clean"; he had a point there. "Ugh, sorry, just feeling crummy from the cold and being locked up in here." Rinzler tosses the towel to the ground, giving a gentle shrug before sliding his hand to meet hers. io feels it graze across her fingers, and she meets him halfway, a smile across her face. 

"It was pretty boring down in engineering without you there. Quiet, outside of the hum of the ship's core and engines." The android admits, locking fingers with her. A small chuckle comes from him, and a smile emoticon displays from his faceplate. "It's a shame that you have to stay in here-- it would've been a bit of fun to tease you for your cute sneezes." 

io's cheeks glow pink at that comment, giving a playful smile. "Aw, c'mon… It's not like I can help it." She scoots closer to him, clearing her throat a bit. "Yeah, it's been pretty boring in here, too. All I did was sleep, eat some of Hanzo's soup, and read some of the engineering books. You interrupted my studies."

"Do you want me to leave you to it, then?" 

"No… you wanted to visit me, and since you can't get sick, I'm fine with you talking with me." 

Rinzler chuckles softly, scooting up onto her bed. "Alright. Glad to see you're feeling a bit better."

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a part of a collection of works done by myself, SyntheticAngel, and FullSizeRender. All three of us have works in the Other Worlds narrative, and Synth even does some art on her twitter! Check it out here: https://twitter.com/syntheticcangel?s=09
> 
> FullSizeRender's works can be found on here (Ao3) at their user page, or on their twitter: https://twitter.com/apolitenoob?s=09
> 
> Feel free to follow me on twitter as well, right here: https://twitter.com/ghostlybirds?s=09
> 
> Thanks for reading!!!


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